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St. Patrick's Day Athy 2012

Louth Men's Shed IMSA meeting

Launched earlier this month, the Athy Men’s Shed project is providing a new social outlet in the south Kildare town.

The “Men’s Shed” project provides a meeting place for men to come together and enjoy activities such as woodwork, metalwork, photography, card playing, darts and bowls.“The idea is that men can come together during the day, have a cup of tea, a chat and teach eachother different skills. There is no age limit. They have to be 16 and upwards. Most men have experience in carpentry, plumbing, a trade and they can share that,” explained Mick Osborne, community development worker with the Kildare Leadership Partnership programme.This is the first time a Men’s Shed project has set up in Kildare. Athy’s first project could be repairing bicyles or restoring a vintage car, according to Mr Osborne. “The men decide. It is in its very early stages. The first meeting had 11 men down, which is a good start.” They are currently finalising a premises in the town. “We are hoping the message gets out there and the project takes on a life of its own.”Mr Osborne stressed the importance of the project in the current climate. “It is extremely important. There is a lot of men in the town who are unemployed and are at home. The only exercise they get is switching the tv channels and they know all the nursery rhymes. They are walking the streets with no where to go. Social contact is very important.“People can donate tools or if there is barrels of money they can dig up that would be great too,” Mr Osborne added.Currently plans are under way to open Men’s Shed projects in Maynooth and Leixlip.

Published Leinster Leader November Tuesday, November 8, 2011You can read more of Lisa Deeney's blog here